Plague of Winter
by The Sterling Dragon
Summary: Lying is something that Norway has seemed to have down to a science. However, one of his lies go too far and he's left to deal with the consequences of his actions. With the coming of winter lies become revealed in the form of a humiliating secret that was never meant to come to light.
1. Chapter 1

So here's another Hetalia Fanfic that is SUPPOSED to be a one-shot, but we all know how well that's turned out in the past XD

As always I don't own Hetalia

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The lacy spider web of shadow crisscrossed over a well-worn path untainted crust of snow and ice, skeletons of trees stripped of their foliage that led to a lake. The lake itself, long since frozen solid as autumn abruptly drew to a close. An adolescent practiced magic in what was once a lush meadow looking out upon said lake, now a silent deserted plain of snow. Silence rang out through the air as the teen manipulated his surroundings. The ice that lay before him slowly started melting as he concentrated, forcing a mini thaw to create a circle only about a meter in diameter of dormant grass as he brought warmth up from the earth. From this he made the wavering illusion of spring, the grass flourished and a few of the flowering grasses started blooming. It was an oasis of life shadowed by a desert of death. His mentor -a middle-aged woman named Saga- watched on from the side, not interfering so she didn't interrupt his concentration and spoil the illusion that the teen was desperately trying to master. But, she couldn't delay weather. Starving storm clouds charged, bearing down upon her and her apprentice.

"Norway." Saga called from her position off to the side. Norway's concentration broke, the illusion of spring that he was fixated on warped back into dead grass. His mentor nodded in the direction of the quickly advancing storm clouds, heralding a blizzard. The Norwegian adolescent's dark eyes traveled to the sky and he abandoned his spot to join his mentor on the walk back home. The wind was already starting to pick up, blowing any and all lose snow around, making the air hazy with frozen water.

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_Hetalia_

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The two were almost back to the middle-aged woman's house where her apprentice was staying after a rather brutal fight the Norwegian had with his father. Cold wind sliced through their path turning the realm of humans seemingly into Hel's icy realm of death. One could almost expect the half maiden, half corpse queen to weave her way through the spokes of the birch trees that were nearly camouflaged in the building blizzard. They had almost reached Saga's home when Norway noticed that the world suddenly started to sway, it didn't help that the wind had slowed down making the snow fall in a dizzying spiral. He stumbled and leaned against a pine tree, his actions didn't go unnoticed. His mentor stopped, her marine gaze narrowed in suspicion. It wouldn't be the first time that the Norwegian had lied, or tried to lie to her about something like his heath.

Truthfully Norway was too achy to put up much of a fight so he allowed Saga to guide him into her home and to a pile of furs on a bench by the fire. The adolescent refused to meet her gaze out of shame. "How do you feel Lukas?" The brunette's gaze burned through her apprentice. She wasn't answered right away.

"I feel fine, I just over did it with the magic is all." Norway brushed off the incident that had happened earlier.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Saga nodded curtly, keeping her unwavering gaze trained on the country for any sign of a lie; after all she did have her suspicions especially seeing as she had been lied to before. "Fine then, get some rest." And with that she left the personification to doze by the fire.

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_Hetalia_

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Norway slept lightly by the fire, drifting in and out of consciousness. He had lied to his mentor and he did feel guilt over it. The nation hadn't overexerted himself through the use of magic. He was in his current condition because of a festering wound on his arm from when he had fallen out of a tree and gotten cut on a jagged branch. He had worried about what his mentor and his father would have thought. His throat tightened. He and his father had been fighting again and more often than not he was on his father's bad side. Then again where the nation was concerned his father didn't have another side to him. Norway shifted, wincing as he put pressure on the throbbing cut on his arm. Luckily his mentor wasn't near him.

He had heard her muttering under her breath about possibly being snowed in. He had hoped that wasn't the case. It was easier to hide his injuries around his brothers and father. Actually Denmark and his father, Scandia, bought into just about anything. Sweden on the other hand was a little bit tougher to convince. And the teen knew that his mentor already had her suspicions about his health. This was one of those times when the roles of mentor and apprentice blended with the roles of mother and son.

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_Hetalia_

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Luckily the two hadn't been snowed in. However, the weather was too fierce to venture out in and forced the young country to stay with his mentor. He didn't have any qualms against that but it was getting harder and harder for him to hide his infected wound from her. Saga eventually found out when she saw Norway attempting- in vain- to use magic to heal himself. It would have been an understatement to say that she was a little upset. In fact, the country almost wished that he wasn't with his mentor for once. He could feel the disappointment radiating off of her in waves as she examined his injury. "How did you get this?" She asked sharply her grip a little too tight around his wrist and a little too close to the infected wound on his arm.

Norway grappled for something to say, giving up when he realized that he'd be digging a deeper hole for himself. "I fell out of a tree…" Came the embarrassed answer.

"You fell out of a tree?" Saga replied, her tone flat.

Norway fidgeted, "Yeah."

"What were you doing in a tree?"

"I don't know…"

"Then why did you climb it in the first place?"

Norway opened his mouth to respond only to be unable to come up with a viable answer. He had forgotten the series of events that had led him to his unfortunate plunge from the tree. He didn't notice his mentor get up and get a clean blade out of a pot of boiling water… Wait, how did she know he had an infected wound? Had he told her? He didn't remember… Norway snapped out of his thoughts when Saga returned with the knife and clean bandages, and proceeded to re-open his wound to let the blood. Norway just stared at the red liquid as it flowed freely along with fluids that had come from his wound. The skin around the cut was inflamed and red looking. Saga then washed the wound and took a needle and thread that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and stitched the injury closed. The blond nation gagged as the needle pierced his skin, the thread following it and pulling at his flesh. Norway leaned against his mentor's shoulder as his head swam, closing his eyes to fight the dizziness. Saga noticed his distress and finished up the stitching and wrapped his arm. "You learned your lesson?" Her question was followed by a weak nod. The woman bit back concern from her voice as she looked down at her apprentice, "Just take it easy for a few days, all right?"

"Hn…" Came the dazed response. Norway vaguely noticed his mentor didn't get up immediately. Instead she tenderly ran her fingers through his hair, pausing to rest her hand against his forehead before helping him lie down. But it was probably just his imagination; after all she was just his mentor and not his mother.

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_Hetalia_

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Norway spent the better part of the next three days in a fevered haze. Everything around him blurred together and he couldn't remember details. His arm did start to feel better. And, by the end of the third day, the nation blearily let his world focus once more on the coherent reality that he had missed out on while he was fighting the infection. The storm had let up and Saga agreed to let him go home after he had gotten a good nights' rest. Norway didn't know how that was possible seeing as he had been resting for three days straight. He wasn't looking forward to explaining to his father the reason behind the bandages. The nation sighed and closed his eyes.

Norway realized that he had dozed off when his mentor shook him awake. The blond pulled himself to his feet, shivering at the thought of having to go outside. Any sane person would want to stay in a nice, warm, house surrounded by furs on a day like this. Sadly the Norwegian couldn't catch a break so, deciding that he'd just get used to the cold, the nation bundled up and made his way back home.

The snow crunched under foot and the sky held no sign that there was ever a snowstorm. The nation made his way across the snow encased field that separated his home from his mentor's. Saga walked beside him, not entirely trusting her charge to make it safely to his home seeing as he was still a little under the weather. The nation's father waited for him at the door. Scandia surveyed Norway as he attempted to shoulder past him. The Norwegian wasn't making much progress in that endeavor. "What happened?" It was more of a demand than a question and Norway was determined not to answer. Luckily the nation didn't have to as Denmark finally noticed Norway. The older personification then proceeded to nearly crush his younger brother with a hug.

"Mathias, why don't you take your brother inside, he's been sick these past few days." Saga told the personification. It wasn't a suggestion. Denmark was able to catch onto what the brunette woman was trying to say and guided his little brother into the house. Saga then turned her gaze back to Scandia "Apparently he fell out of a tree."

"What?"

"You heard what I said."

"How?"

Saga narrowed her eyes. "Just deal with your son. He's fighting off an infection that came from a cut when he fell so he's going to be under the weather." She then turned on her heel and left the ancient standing alone in the cold. Scandia stood there for a few more seconds wondering what had just happened until he finally turned and re-entered his house. Of the three of his sons it always seemed to be his youngest that got himself into the most trouble. The much younger personification really could never catch a break, it seemed like he inherited his father's bad luck.

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And that's it for this wonderful one shot. This is totally not going to be a multi chapter fic.


	2. Chapter 2

As always you people know that I don't own Hetalia… and like it seems to happen with all of my one-shots Plague of Winter will be continued… Sigh… the temptation was too great…

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Scandia turned towards his three sons; keeping himself from looking concerned. It was bad to show emotion, he'd found that out the hard way enough times. It was better to not show that he cared about his children but the Ancient couldn't help the curiosity that controlled his thoughts. He wanted to know the condition of his youngest son. Norway's mentor had said that he was going to feel under the weather but to Scandia the young nation looked fine. The blond haired man almost forgot that he was supposed to be angry with his son and quickly shot a glare at Norway. It was returned with a bitter look from the younger male. Good, Norway was still angry, that's what he wanted. Scandia stormed to the opposite end of his house to be away from his sons for a little while. What he didn't expect was winter to plague him with thoughts questioning his method for raising his youngest.

Norway was well on his way to hating his father, but the nation's brothers had already been through enough trauma because of Scandia, and Norway was already too old and too perceptive to be fed lies and believe them. The only difference between the Norwegian and his brothers was the fact that many of Scandia's old enemies were already dead. There were a few still around, Britannia, to name one and a few others out west. But Britannia was the most immediate threat. Her husband may have been his brother but that still didn't excuse what he'd done and the normally prideful Ancient found himself deserving of her wrath. But she was currently so far away that Scandia found himself wondering what it was that made him treat his youngest so unfairly. Then he remembered; he'd nearly severed Norway's arm. It wasn't that big of a deal and he was probably over reacting but a nagging voice that sounded a little too much like his son's mentor for his liking convinced him otherwise. He was too much of a monster, and too weak to be able to raise Norway. Maybe he should give him away? Would that be easier? He thought back to autumn when he'd tried to give Lukas away to Saga.

Scandia couldn't last the night without worrying over the young nation even though he knew that Saga was far more capable to care for Norway than he was. The Ancient felt a pang of jealousy; he knew that his sons preferred Saga over him. But then Scandia recalled that Norway couldn't stay for a week before wanting to come visit his brothers and slowly starting the process of moving back in with his family. The best part was when the blond nation didn't know that his father saw his intentions and yet did nothing to deter the younger from returning to his family.

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_Hetalia_

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Norway had barely entered his home with Denmark leading him before he collapsed against his brother. Denmark had to drag the younger blond over to his bed and help him down. It didn't help that the Norwegian clung to his older brother tiredly, hindering much of the Dane's movements. Sweden, for once, took pity on his older brother and helped Denmark get Norway to lie down. The Norwegian was a dead weight to his brothers and he'd barely closed his eyes when he felt a sharp glare. No doubt from his father. Norway opened his eyes hazily and sent a bitter look at Scandia. So he still wasn't forgiven. Scandia probably thought he was too weak again or something. The Norwegian gradually started to fall asleep a feeling of worthlessness writhing in his stomach.

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_Hetalia_

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Norway awoke to Sweden and Denmark fighting. About what? Who the hell knows? The only thing that the Norwegian country cared about was that it was way too early to be woken up. His precious sleep was starting to slip away from him and the young nation wished that his father would just deal with his brothers. If there was one thing that Scandia and Norway shared it was their hatred for mornings. But Norway never heard his father's voice yelling at his two brothers for fighting this early. So Norway took it upon himself to stop the two from fighting. He opened his eyes blearily to see the two bickering nations were oblivious to him. Sweden's back was to him and Denmark was too engrossed in winning the argument to notice that his younger brother was awake. "Will you two just shut up?" Norway snapped, "It's too early for this." Needless to say that got the older nations' attention. They both looked guilty for a second before Denmark had the audacity to speak up.

"But Nor… it's the middle of the day…" The Dane tilted his head to the side. "Far just left to reset traps and he left me in charge." He continued, puffing out his chest.

"He didn't leave you in charge." Sweden mumbled irately.

_So that's what they were fighting about_. Norway thought, feeling quite irritated that he'd been woken up from something so stupid. Norway was about to say something about the fighting again when he stopped. His father would have taken both his older brothers if he was resetting traps. That being said, where was the older blond? Norway felt a sharp pang of abandonment. It was a ridiculous feeling. His father wouldn't abandon his brothers and him… right? Did Scandia even care? Norway was taken out of his thoughts when his stomach growled. That stopped both older nations from fighting and two pairs of eyes were suddenly trained on Norway. The two older brothers then shared a clueless look, not knowing what to do. Fight or get their younger brother something to eat? The answer was obvious. They went back to fighting and Norway was left to find something to eat for himself. Norway found himself some food and ate, grumbling about his unhelpful older brothers. The younger nation then proceeded to fall asleep feeling unusually drained.

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_Hetalia_

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Norway woke up a few hours later feeling like he'd just taken a heart attack. His body felt heavy and his chest throbbed. The world around him seemed to be burning and his joints felt like lead. The Norwegian let a whimper escape his throat and he turned towards the fire, heavily slinging one of his arms over his eyes to block the light but still get the warmth from the life giving flames.

The young nation hardly noticed much going on around him at that moment. His fever blazed and his throat was raw and bloody from coughing so much. Each throbbing breath made him tremble from pain. Norway didn't notice his older brothers look at him concern evident in their eyes. Why? Was something wrong? He'd forgotten. Why did the room feel so hot? Did Denmark over do it with the fire again?

Was he sick?

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And that's the end for chapter two~! There'll probably be a chapter solely on Nor getting better and then that'll be it ^^ This is gonna be a cute _little _Fanfic. Ya here? *Stares down audience*

Questions for this chapter

Will Nor and Scandia ever get along again?

Did Denmark over do it with the fire?

Where was Scandia for the better part of a day? (Come on I know y'all were wondering about that)


End file.
